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Lubbock Fire Rescue gets 14 new members

It has been a long, tough journey for Lubbock Fire Rescue’s 14 newest recruits.

On Tuesday, all that hard worked paid off for the 14 members of the 2014-15 class. The recruits graduated at a ceremony that included the presentation of certificates, pinning of badges and an oath of office.

Battalion Chief Steve Holland said for most of the recruits, the journey started four years ago when they decided they wanted a career as a firefighter.

They’ve gone through an academy to become certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, where they’ve spent a minimum of 468 class hours learning the fundamentals of firefighting, as well as learning the physical skills required to practice what’s learned in class.

After the academy, they passed a written state exam, a skills evaluation, became EMS certified, completed a civil service exam and then spent six weeks of perfecting skills and learning the procedures.

Holland said they are a diverse group of men, coming from cities all around Texas. They include various veterans and college graduates, ranging from the ages of 19 to 33.

“We stand ready to welcome these 14 men, their six wives and eight children into the Lubbock Fire Rescue family,” Holland said.

Recruit Mason Couch said the ceremony symbolizes the long journey they have had.

The recruits have striven for this day a long time, he said.

“We now have a career as a firefighter to look forward to,” Couch said. “We all get relief knowing we’ve made it out of rookie school, but it will still not be a victory until the day that we retire and the day we know we were the best we could be.”